Mai HiME: Royal Flush
by Kieli
Summary: This is sort of set in the time period between the end of the HiME Festival and just prior to graduation. Midori is up to her old tricks which cause a little bit of a challenge between Shizuru and Natsuki to emerge. FINALLY FINISHED!
1. Part 1

**Title:** Mai HiME: Royal Flush  
**Genre:** Comedy  
**Author:** Kieli  
**Rating:** PG-13 for some language and naughty bits  
**Summary:** This is sort of set in the time period between the end of the HiME Festival and just prior to graduation. Midori is up to her old tricks which cause a little bit of a challenge between Shizuru and Natsuki to emerge. The gauntlet gets thrown, clothes come off. Poor Natsuki. She never had a chance. It's a one shot but it will be in two parts only (hopefully fingers crossed) It's un-beta'd for reasons that are my own. If I missed any typos or extra words, you'll have to let me know. The story started out as a hilarious conversation between **Lang** and myself. The hilarious Kuga/Shizuru dialogue is all hers. I just filled in the blanks.

"So tell me again why you're not going to the lake for the semester-end party?" Chie asked quietly, as she leaned against the doorframe to her best friend's dormitory flat. She felt nervous for some odd reason and had taken to twisting the chain on her all-important cell phone to relieve some of the tension. There was no rhyme or reason for her nervousness, when she really thought about it. Chie had known Aoi for what seemed like an eternity; their bond strong, yet fluid. It encased them like the warm arms of summer every time they were together.

"Chie-chan, you know that I can't afford to. It's bad enough that I have to borrow money from you sometimes to get by as it is." Aoi replied, her voice muffled by the blouse she pulled over her head as she dressed for work. The spectacled girl drew in her breath with a slight hiss as she caught a glimpse of Aoi's ample cleavage before the shirt settled over her slim torso.

"Guess it wouldn't do any good to beg, plead and offer myself up to you as an incentive to come, eh?" Chie joked, though she could barely hear the words; her heart was knocking around in her chest like a _taiko_ drum.

"Tempting, but I can't this time." Aoi blinked back hidden tears when she thought of how frustrating it was to have to miss out on spending time with her _What? Wishful thinking kind of lover?_ friend. She was thankful that someone chose to knock at the door at that precise moment. Stepping past Chie to open it, she brushed just close enough to illicit a poorly concealed moan from her. With a hint of a mischievous grin to the gossip hound for good measure, Aoi greeted the caller in her usual effusive manner.

"Midori-san! What brings you here?"

"Actually, I was looking for that hellraiser roommate of yours," Midori chuckled.

"I think she said she was going to the cafeteria to get something to eat. She skipped lunch today."

"And class, too, apparently," the boisterous teacher muttered _sotto voce_.

"Pardon me?"

"Hmm? Oh it's nothing, nothing at all. I'm just getting together a little bit of entertainment and I was sure that she'd want to play."

Midori's announcement piqued the interest of Chie who had been standing out of sight until that point.

"Entertainment, eh? If you're setting this up, that can't be good. It probably won't even be legal," Chie smirked.

"Oi, Mashiro forgave me for that Iron Chef thing already. Besides," Midori performed some sleight of hand and a deck of Las Vegas style playing cards appeared. A slow devious smile slid across her face as she flipped the deck back and forth between her fingers. "Who can resist a friendly game of skill?"

* * *

"Awww Natsuki, everyone else is playing. Don't ruin the fun. Come join us," Mai pleaded, tugging on her classmate's sleeve to emphasize her request. She and Shizuru had been on their way for a night of shopping in the city when Mai intercepted them near the student common room. Midori soon showed up with the other HiMEs (except for Yukino, who begged off, claiming that Haruka had assigned her several tasks for the upcoming sakura viewing party that needed to be done on Suzushiro-time) and Chie ("_What? You think I'm going to miss out on Midori's wild party? Not a chance!_) to see how Mai would manage to get the school's most inaccessible student to do the unexpected.

"No!"

"Midori said that it would just be a game of cards, Natsuki. How bad could it be?"

A scowl of disapproval creased her brow at the mention of their troublesome teacher's name. "I haven't forgotten her last HiME bonding attempt," she growled, recalling the quite dreadful (though some would say totally hilarious) karaoke party.

Mai winced at the shared recollection. She had to admit that wasn't one of their shining moments…still it had been rather fun. Not one to give up easily, she knew that she'd have no choice but to use her final option. "Say, didn't you tell me that you owed me one for that time Mikoto and I saved you from Alyssa-chan?

Natsuki crossed her arms and shook her head in dissent. "Oi oi, don't try to guilt me into this, Tokiha. I don't plan on spending my Friday night getting involved with anything Miss Justice here came up with. You all can play your silly little game without me, right Shizuru?" the dark haired biker tossed her best friend a meaningful look, praying to any _kami_ who would listen that she got the hint.

Shizuru's eyes danced with mischief as she pretended to consider the matter thoroughly. Every tap tap tap of a finger on her lovely chin, echoed in Natsuki's head like a knell of doom. Her eyebrow twitched in anticipation of the decision that was sure to come.

"I think this would be enjoyable. I do not get to do such things very often. Anyway, we can always go shopping tomorrow," Shizuru said in an offhand manner as she wandered over to place a calm hand on Natsuki's arm. The biker girl knew this was a bad sign. Shizuru deliberately made the gesture as a way of keeping her from losing her temper in front of the others. While it was helpful, it only served to make her looked more whipped than she already was.

Midori clapped a hand over her mouth to control a bad case of the giggles as she noticed the erstwhile HiME's crestfallen face. She almost fell out laughing altogether when Mai burst out, "Yes!! Thank you, Shizuru-san!"

Natsuki shot a dark look at Shizuru, whose own expression remained as placid as ever. "Arggh! Fine! Damn it, fine!" She ran an annoyed hand through her hair and tried desperately to maintain the attitude of cool aloofness that she was famous for. "So…what are we playing anyway?" she asked of no one in particular.

"Strip poker."

TBC...


	2. Part 2

Youko was given the task of explaining the rules prior to the shuffling of cards, all the while holding Midori's gaze and her skin had pinked with a slight blush. She wasn't sure that Midori's suggestion that she join the game had wholly innocent but it was a risk she was willing to take. After all, she was the one mixing the drinks.

"Ok ladies, the game is fairly simple so let's try to relax and have fun," Midori said, catching the eyes of both Shizuru and Natsuki as she skillfully dealt out five cards to each HiME in attendance. She had separated the two because the latter was still leveling her frostiest glares at the student council president.

Natsuki had pitched a royal fit earlier when she heard those two words, "What the bloody--? No. Absolutely not. I am not getting naked in any way shape or form. And neither are you," she said in her best commanding tone as she stared at Shizuru. The pretty kaichou simply raised an amused eyebrow at her outburst but remained suspiciously silent.

"What's the matter, Kuga? Worried that we might get to see more than you?" Nao had snarked from her place on one the oversized armchairs near the playing table.

"Sounds like you need the peek. Lost your taste for pedophiles, Nao?

Things went precipitously downhill from there. "Nao-san, Kuga-san, please!" piped up a rather annoyed Yukino (who somehow managed to get out of her "duties" with Haruka). "This is supposed to be fun. Can you both...well, you know," she gave them both a meaningful look. The two of them were so shocked at Yukino's sudden growth of a spine that they acquiesced almost immediately (not without some mouthed threats to each other, to be sure).

The group around a small circular table they had found in a student study lounge resembled a motley crew of misfits. Youko sat on Midori's right while Nao sat on her left. Then it was Shizuru, Chie, Yukino, Yukariko, Mai, Mikoto and finally Natsuki.

"Why are _you_ here, Harada?" Natsuki observed the campus busybody sitting next to Shizuru for the first time since they sat down to play. She was very uncomfortable with the prospect of having semi-nude photos of herself floating around the school. "Don't you have someplace to be? Where's Aoi anyway? You two are usually joined at the hip."

Chie peered intently at her cards as she tried to hide the disappointment in her face at the mention of her crush's name. "She had to work," she replied quietly. "No worries, though, Kuga, I'll behave this time, eh?"

Dubious looks all round were cast in her direction. Chie spread her hands in exasperation. "What? I _can_ be good when I want to! Gods know, this would make some excellent stuff but…my heart isn't in it this time."

"Uh huh," Mai gave a derisive snort. "If I hear any smart comments from Tate about tonight, I'll know who to come after, good behaviour or not."

Youko continued outlining the rules of play as she handed out drinks to those who weren't already drinking tea. "Now remember to keep your cards well hidden. Only discard the cards you think might not be worth anything. The max number of cards you can get rid of for this game is three cards unless you have an ace. Then you can get rid of four and hold onto that ace. Do you all understand the hand values that I explained before?"

Everyone nodded their assent. Midori handed out cards to the last person, put the rest of the deck to the side and placed a marker, or marked poker chip, on top. "We'll be playing five card draw poker with deuces wild."

Yukariko's hand raised tentatively from behind her cards. "Yes, Sister?" the wayward teacher acknowledged.

"Um, what's a deuce?"

The rest of the evening played out like a Benny Hill skit. Mikoto had to be sent back to Mai's room before the first hand was played when she kept trying to eat her cards. Yukariko acted so jumpy at the possibility of committing multiple grievous sins while gambling on her state of undress that, at the suggestion of Midori, the lovely doctor had to slip her a shot of sake in her tea to calm her down.

Chie, Nao and Midori were doing their level best to see who could out-bluff the other; however, their efforts were for naught as they were the first players to fall. Natsuki and Shizuru continued their silent war of wills, surprising everyone else by their smart, calculated moves despite both of their protestations that they'd never played poker before in their lives.

Youko was the first one to be completely naked, much to the amusement of a broadly grinning Midori. The bets were getting more outrageous the more alcohol that was consumed. Three rounds later, Nao and Yukino lost their clothing as Shizuru's calculated bluff with a pair of tens, ace high, forced them to go all in and call. Nao's screams of frustration could be heard throughout most of the dorm.

It was the final hand of the last round; Shizuru and Natsuki had yet to lose a stitch. Most of the other HiME had either opted to fold when they thought their hands would not be able to stand up to the pair's collective cunning or lost when they attempted to take a risk that one of the two was bluffing outrageously. Midori had a bemused expression on her face as she handed them their cards. Natsuki took one look at her cards and a brief flash of excitement flickered in her eyes.

"Natsuki, I've heard that certain body language between players are called 'tells'. Perhaps you shouldn't be quite so obvious about what you might be holding in your hand," Shizuru joked.

The younger girl blushed furiously. "Think you know so much, do you? Very well," she purred. "I'm going all in." She pushed her rather large stack of poker chips into the center of the table where the 'pot' was.

Shizuru blinked at the size of Natsuki's bet. "Are you _sure_ you want to do that?"

"I've never been surer about anything in my life."

Everyone around the table held their breath as Midori laid down the challenge. "You two know the drill. Show us what you've got."

Shocked gasps hissed out as Shizuru laid her cards down first. "Well, damn," Chie grumbled. "Full house: three Kings and two tens. Now what are the odds of THAT happening?"

"Not so fast," Natsuki said with a smirk that nearly split her face in two. She laid down her own set of cards. If the reaction to Shizuru's hand was shock, then the reaction to Natsuki's was awe.

"What the bloody---?" "How did she get THAT? She can't have that!" "Are you kidding me?"

"Straight flush. Ace, King, Queen, Jack, and Ten of Hearts. Looks like I win, kaichou-sama."

"Ara, it's not like Natsuki to be a sore winner."

"Hmph. Cut the crap, I beat you. You know what you gotta do…"

"Whatever do you mean?" Shizuru asked as she placed her hand over her ample bosom and gave her friend a faux innocent look.

"Strip. Now!" Natsuki growled.

"I don't see point you're trying to make. You've seen me without clothing numerous times," Shizuru complained with her bottom lip protruding in a slight pout.

Chie's eyes lit up with all of the gossip possibilities being laid out before her, her earlier promise almost completely forgotten. "Ehhh, Kuga? When was this? Why didn't you tell us about your hot love affair with the lovely student council president?" she teased, poking the grumpy student in the side with her elbow.

"Shut UP! Shizuru, the POINT is that I beat you and now you...h-have to take off your clo--damn, this game is pathetic. Why the hell am I playing along with this?" she groused and stood up to face down her wily _sempai_.

"Aw Natsuki-san is all flustered," Nao grinned nastily as she took out her camera phone. "Could it be that she's enjoying this a little more than she lets on? Huu huu huuu…"

Natsuki whirled on the red-haired girl so fast, she barely had time to duck or risk being cold cocked in the chin. "Shut your mouth before I shut it for you." She gave the wannabe badass a parting glare before standing and stomping off to the common room kitchen. Her ears burned with embarrassment as she heard Shizuru say, "Natsuki's leaving just when I've gotten to the good part? How mean." She slammed the kitchen door so hard the artwork on the walls nearly flew off.

"Oh my," Yukino mused while trying to cover her nudity with one of the sofa cushions.

"Whadda we do now?" Youko slurred. Though she'd had fewer glasses of the alcoholic punch mixture that she had made, somehow she felt more inebriated than she should.

"Don't worry," Shizuru said calmly. "I am the one she is upset with so…" She straightened her skirt and headed off in the direction Natsuki fled to.

When she was out of earshot, the rest of the group looked at each other in consternation. "I don't know if I respect her for her courage or think she's totally insane for going after Kuga," Chie noted. Yukariko, nodded vigorously in agreement, hiccupped twice and passed out cold in Chie's lap.

"Whoa, what's going on here?"

Everyone's eyes whipped around to see a very confused Aoi standing in the doorway of the common room. Her own eyes went as wide as saucers as she took in the collective nudity of the group. Chie jumped up from her chair in a panic, heedless of her own state of undress.

"Aoi! Look, I can explain everything!"


	3. Part 3

**ROYAL FLUSH: PART 3**

Peals of golden laughter filled the tiny dormitory room as Aoi collapsed in an amused heap onto her bed. Chie was sitting next to her _sans_ her trademark glasses bundled up in one of Aoi's oversized, fluffy towels. Her cheeks shone pink with embarrassment. She had tried to explain why she and the others were sitting around drinking and playing cards in the buff, but with every word, Chie dug herself a deeper hole from which she was sure she couldn't get out of.

Aoi gasped several times in an attempt to catch her breath from laughing so hard. "I just can't believe you let them talk you into this."

"It's not like I set out to get naked in front of my classmates," Chie pouted. "Besides, I had every intention of winning until that hellcat Kuga and the ever-sly kaichou-sama dismantled us all with their little rivalry. Who knew they could be so bloody dangerous?"

A short bark of laughter escaped Aoi despite a vain attempt to regain her composure. "_I_ could've told you that they were a force to be reckoned with. Nao twitches anytime Fujino-sama is within sight so whatever happened between them, it can't have been good."

The brunette leaned back on her elbows and stared out the dorm room window with a wistful look in her blue eyes. She inwardly cursed her slave-driving boss for making her take someone else shift. The perfect opportunity to tell Chie how she felt had presented itself in her absence and for the first time in her life, the metallic taste of irony filled her mouth. Maa," she chirped. "What's done is done. Although I _am_ a bit jealous."

Chie blinked owlishly in surprise. "Why?" Aoi was glad that she couldn't see very well without her spectacles as a wicked grin slid across her pretty face.

"Well, for starters, I would have definitely wanted to be there for the actual stripping." She moved ever so slightly closer to the object of her crush, taking note of just how well her friend's endowments held up the towel.

Chie blushed even harder and her ears turned the colour of a ripe tomato. "Y-you would?" She mentally kicked herself for sounding flustered; she knew that she couldn't keep up her Rico Suave act around Aoi. The brunette's open, unassuming nature disarmed her every time. Whenever they met for coffee at that hole-in-the-wall café in Aoyama-cho during school breaks, had lunch together in the grassy picnic area near the lake or simply watched a movie in Aoi's room, all of the smooth pick-up lines died behind Chie's lips. She never felt the urge to use any of them on the object of her affection, a fact she found quite odd and more than a little disturbing. _Maybe I'm losing my touch_. "I highly doubt it," countered Aoi's amused voice.

"Did I just say that out loud?" Chie gasped as she clamped a hand over her traitorous mouth.

"Apparently so."

Chie banged her head on a nearby wall in mortification. She had given away the secret that she had held in her heart for so long and was prepared to take her lumps like a woman. "Caught me, eh?"

Warm blue eyes sought out Chie's face leaving her to squirm uncomfortably under its gentle inquisition. The two friends continued to sit in silence for a few long moments. A sudden whirlwind of tepid night air from without ruffled their hair, giving them relief from the closed warmth of the dormitory room. Chie closed her eyes against the burning sting of rejection she felt sure was coming.

"That would be a first, wouldn't it?" Aoi murmured after a while. She reached out to take one of Chie's strong, limber hands into her own. Her fingers traced lazy strokes on the soft calloused, flesh. "You know, everyone thinks that you're pretty fearless."

"Is that so?" Chie sniffed, aware that unshed tears were reducing her vision to a muddled haze but she didn't want to let go of Aoi's hand. "What do _you_ think?"

Silence reigned once more as the two women continued to stare at each other. They each felt like they were breathing rarified air; it was as if the oxygen was slowly, inexorably drawn out of the room until all that was left was this leaden stillness. Aoi reached up to move a bit of hair that had fallen into the older girl's eyes. The act itself, so simple and so caring, became the catalyst for all that came after. Chie breathed a deep sigh of relief as kisses, soft as fairy wings, rained on her nose, her neck, her eyes. She wrapped unsteady arms about Aoi and pulled her close, heedless of the loosening towel about her chest. As Aoi's lips found their intended mark, their world went supernova.


	4. Part 4

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: _My apologies for taking so bloody long to finally finish this one. The problem was that it started out as a one-shot. Like so many things, it eventually turned into something else. It's unbeta'd so any mistakes are my own and I apologise for them now. Thank you all for your patience, your kindness and your enthusiasm for two characters that I adore so much._**

* * *

The soft padding of socks on wooden floors echoed from room to room as Shizuru went in search of the recently-fled Natsuki. Beneath the unruffled demeanor that she reserved for the rest of the world, her thoughts were in turmoil. She and Natsuki had known each other for a relatively long time when one considered the fickle nature of an adolescent girl. Their relationship had survived many things, even unexpected betrayal, but Shizuru feared that she had tested their bond one time too many. No one knew better than she just how fragile Natsuki's ego was beneath her bad-girl exterior. A wry smile slid across the pretty teen's face as one hilarious memory came to mind.

Wandering in and out of the maze of hallways and stairs, her path might have been misconstrued as being directionless, but the brunette had gone through this scenario many times before. The end result was always the same.

Shizuru stood before the wood-paneled _shoji_ that led out into a scaled down _Saiho-ji_ replica garden that was almost completely invisible to the main campus, safely tucked into the dormitory building's west-facing corner, and contemplated her next move. Only a handful of students knew of this place; in truth, Shizuru made certain that number was kept to a minimum for this was her private place, a gift from Kazahana Mashiro after successful negotiation proceedings with a particularly troublesome Fuuka businessman the previous year. After Shizuru shared the garden with Natsuki when it was completed, it became the biker girl's favourite place of refuge. Whenever Natsuki was upset or felt the need to be alone, she could be found in wandering along the garden's bamboo-laced path that led to the burbling brook at its center.

She hadn't expected Natsuki to react as vehemently as she did. The damage was done, however, and her mind worked furiously to figure out a way to make amends. After a few moments' reflection, she knocked quietly.

"Whoever it is, you'd better leave now if you know what's good for you."

"My, such a threatening tone, Natsuki," admonished Shizuru.

The door opened slowly to allow her admittance to the garden. She took that as a good sign and stepped outside to sit beside her brooding girlfriend. They sat in silence for a long while, watching afternoon pass into twilight.

"Shizuru, do you trust me?" Natsuki's muted query shattered the evening stillness. Shizuru cocked an eyebrow, clearly surprised by the question.

"Of course I do," she replied with a hint of concern in her voice. "Why do you ask?"

Natsuki shrugged and stood up, absently brushing pollen dust off the backside of her skirt. "I get the feeling that you don't really."

A puzzled frown turned down the corners of the young _kaichou_'s mouth; it was an expression that she seldom wore. "I do not understand, Natsuki. Why do you not believe that I trust you?"

"Because you still treat me like a child," came Natsuki's terse response. "You say that you trust in me yet your words do not coincide with your actions." She turned to face Shizuru, her green eyes flashing in the near-darkness. "I want you to trust me to be an adult, to be mature enough to be in this relationship _as an equal_. I understand that you're only joking more often than not but sometimes you go too far." Her hands clenched and unclenched while she spoke, signaling that she was clearly more upset than she was letting on.

"I-" Shizuru paused as her mind pondered furiously about what to say next or even how to say it. "Have I really hurt you that much?"

"Yes!" Natsuki blurted. "Well, no…yes and no. You know what I mean!" she growled in frustration.

"I see." Shizuru tried to keep an amused smile from bubbling to the surface without much success.

"I'm _serious!_" Natsuki raged.

"I know you are. I can't help it if "serious Natsuki" is so attractive."

The younger girl let out an agitated scream and was about to stalk off into the garden when a gentle hand caught her sleeve.

"Your point is well taken. Come sit." She pulled Natsuki back to her side and waited for her to get settled before continuing. "I must admit, there are times when I forget how much you've matured. And, it's true, I push your buttons simply because you make it so easy for me. _However_," her voice rose to cut off Natsuki's impending outburst, "I do understand where you are coming from and I apologise."

Natsuki blinked owlishly in surprise. "What was that?"

"Pardon?"

"Did you just admit to being wrong about something?"

Shizuru faux-pondered the question for a moment. "Why, you know, I think I might have."

"Smartass."

"You asked a silly question, naturally, the answer would be just as silly." Shizuru pulled the younger girl into a gentle embrace and spoke softly into her ear. "Am I forgiven?"

A deep flush rose from Natsuki's face from the warmth of Shizuru's breath on her sensitive skin. "M-maybe. Whooo…but there's something that you need to know."

Shizuru raised an inquiring eyebrow at suggestion. "I'm listening."

From a hiding place within the folds of her skirt, Natsuki sheepishly produced two cards from the winning game.

"What's this?" Shizuru queried with an arch smile.

"Erm, I _may_ have tried to even the odds a little."

"May? I would say that you managed to succeed."

"It's all Midori's fault! If she hadn't said this was strip poker I wouldn't have had much of an incenti—oh, I'm digging myself into a hole, aren't I?" Natsuki caught herself in mid-rant as she noticed Shizuru's crossed arms on her chest.

"I'd say that you have a bit of making up to do this evening," Shizuru purred.

Natsuki shrugged as she realized she'd have to pay the piper for this one. Truth be told, she really didn't mind all that much. She stood up and held her hand out to her lover in a cavalierly fashion. "Why don't we take care of that right now?"

As Shizuru put her hand in Natsuki's, she allowed herself a private little smile. If anyone had asked her if she knew all along that Natsuki had been cheating just a bit, she'd have denied it to the end. "Indeed, let's."

FINIS


End file.
